


"Now? Now you decide to listen to me."

by Isimile



Series: Fictober 2019 [3]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Fictober 2019, M/M, Marvel Bingo 2019, Sentinel/Guide, reference to Alex/Hank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20919020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isimile/pseuds/Isimile
Summary: After Logan arrives in the alternate future, he learns that not only are Scott and Jean alive but Charles and Magneto are married.“How?” Logan had known that they loved each other, of course, everyone did, but it hadn’t been enough.





	"Now? Now you decide to listen to me."

“Now? Now you listen to me?” Logan demanded. It had been just a few days since he had returned to the future and all the changes were still weirding him out. Of course he was beyond happy that Jean was alive in this future and he was even not unhappy about Scott but all the differences he kept stumbling over were getting annoying. And then there were these strange looks Jean and Scott kept giving him that he couldn’t place. He’d wanted to talk to Charles about it, since he was one of the few people who knew about his time travels.

Only Charles wasn’t alone in his office. Not only was Magneto here, he and Charles were making out.

Erik glared at him for the interruption. “I can kiss my husband when I so desire.”

Logan started. “Husband?” When did that happen?

“Love, he doesn’t know,” Charles said. Logan didn’t miss the way Magneto relaxed when Charles took his hand. “I did tell you, didn’t I, when you asked why he hadn’t been there when we fought Apocalypse?”

“About the one we met in the 70s being from the future?” Magneto asked.

“Exactly.” Charles turned back to him, likely picking up on his growing annoyance. “You see, Logan, it appears that events have been changed drastically from the timeline you’re from. Erik and I have been together since 1983 and leading the school together just as long.”

“How?” Logan had known that they loved each other, of course, everyone did, but it hadn’t been enough.

Charles tugged Erik closer by the hand, remembering.

~*~

“You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Charles asked.

“You’re psychic, Charles. You can convince me to do anything,” Erik replied.

He shook his head. “You have had enough people enforce their will on you, Erik. I won’t be another one, no matter how much I want you here.” He paused, looking at Erik beseechingly. “But I would ask you to stay with us, to stay with me.”

Erik had been about to walk away but Charles’ words made him stop short. He turned back to stare at Charles. “You want me to stay?”

Charles hesitated a moment to reveal the extent of his feelings for Erik but the prospect of Erik leaving made him act. He reached a hand out to Erik. “Please stay with me.”

Erik took his hand. “I will.”

~*~

Erik hardly knew what to do with himself. He wanted to hold Charles close, to revel in the closer connection that suddenly existed between them. Neither he nor Charles had any idea what exact had happened when Charles had lost control of his telepathy while they had been trying to free Peter and Wendy (his children! His living children!) from HYDRA but they were closer than ever. His senses felt enhanced somehow but also perfectly in his control. The new bond between them also meant that they were perfectly aware now of how much they loved one another. He wanted to seclude himself with Charles, lock out the world for a while. Not to have sex – at least not just – but just to enjoy this new-found bond.

And yet at the same time he wanted to spend time with his children, he wanted to get to know them. Peter, at least, he did know somehow. He had talked to him sometimes while they had been rebuilding the school. Peter hadn’t been able to physically help since his leg had still been broken but he had watched over the children for them and the adults, in turn, had all taken the time to sit with him and help distract him. Erik could understand now while Charles and Raven had been so insistent that he’d often spent time with Peter.

‘Go to them,’ Charles urged his mentally. ‘I’ll be here.’ He grinned. ‘We still have later.’ A picture of Charles’ room appeared in Erik’s mind. He was certain Charles had sent it.

Erik almost stumbled at the implication but quickly caught himself. He crossed the jet to where Peter and Wendy were sitting, leaning tiredly against one another and holding tightly onto each other’s hand. He stopped in front of them, unsure what to say to his adult children. At an encouraging nudge from Charles, he awkwardly asked: “Are you okay?”

“Pretty much, yes,” Peter said. “You all got there in time. They didn’t have time to do more than take samples. Not... not...” He started fidgeting, almost vibrating in place, at least as much as his leg, still in a cast, allowed.

Erik caught his free hand and squeezed. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now. Charles and I will make sure they cannot touch you again.”

Peter smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

Erik stared. Now that he knew that Peter was his son, he could place why he had seemed so familiar. “You have your Großmutter Edie’s eyes.”

Peter focused on him. He was still and silent for longer than Erik had ever seen, then asked, voice shaking: “Father?”

Erik had not believed he would hear that appellation again after Nina’s death, not applied to him. He just nodded to answer Peter, too choked up to speak. It seemed to be enough for Peter, because he threw himself forward into Erik’s arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, my boy,” Erik whispered into his hair. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“I couldn’t use my powers. They had Mom and Wendy and I couldn’t use my powers,” Peter cried.

Erik’s arms tightened around his boy. “I know. I understand. But we came for you. We’ll always come for you.”

“Your family will always come for you,” Charles confirmed.

Erik smiled at him over his shoulder, than looked to his daughter. When she smiled shakily at him, he offered her his hand. It touched him how quickly she accepted it and allowed herself to be tugged down into his arms as well.

Their family indeed.

~*~

Alex’ letting himself drop into one of the free armchairs interrupted their disagreement about how Jean should be trained. “I’d have thought you’d be better at seeing when you are both partially right and finding a compromise, now that you’ve finally started doing something about that tension between you two.” He looked from one to the other. “Speaking from experience here, being afraid of losing control and hurting others is a shitty way to live. But the fear is so ingrained that letting go of that control isn’t easy. So why don’t you do what you did for me? Find a way to help her channel and control her powers, to help her stop being afraid on them and slowly work her way up to controlling them.”

They both looked chagrined at his words. They were both so used to rehashing old arguments that they had quickly fallen into a general discussion instead of looking at this case in particular and finding a solution for Jean. ‘We need to work on our communication,’ Charles pointed out.

‘We do, don’t we,’ Erik agreed.

‘Good thing we have the children around.’ Charles ignored that they hadn’t been children in a while.

‘They’ve grown up well,’ Erik mused. He remembered Alex as a rather bratty teenager, not this insightful adult.

‘They have.’

“Also, can we please talk about soundproofing your room? Hank claims to have been traumatized and I’d rather he’d not get put off sex,” Alex said.

‘Or perhaps not.’

~*~

Erik smiled proudly how Peter, how his son, zip around on the grounds, now that his cast was finally off. He turned slightly when he felt someone come to stand beside him. He wasn’t surprised it was Alex.

“You’re serious about being there for him and his sister?” Alex asked quietly.

“I am,” Erik confirmed. He watched the other from the corner of his eyes, then asked: “Do you want me to apologize for leaving back in Cuba?” He had been aware, on some level, that Alex had connected more with him than with Charles, not surprising, considering his past and how little they had known about Charles’ past and the struggle he had gone through.

Alex shrugged. “You felt that leaving was right for you. I can understand, kind of. I left as well, later. Joined the army, went to Vietnam.”

Erik stayed quiet. He knew that Alex understanding now didn’t mean he hadn’t been hurt back then by the family they’d been slowly forming splintering. “I’m not leaving this time,” he said after a while.

“Good.”

“Charles and I intend to work Jean’s training later. Do you want to join us?”

Alex smiled. “Sure. As long as you keep the flirting to a minimum.”

**Author's Note:**

> To clarify: back in the 80s, Erik and Charles don't know yet about Sentinels and Guides, so they don't have the words for what happens. The trauma of the fight against Apocalypse and then the stress and fear at the HYDRA base brought Charles online. Through their preliminary bond, he switched Erik from part-dormant/part-online to fully online and they bonded. Charles' distress and the sound and smell of his children's fear threw him into a feral episode. Nothing of the HYDRA base remained. Hank can hear them because he is online but can't properly control his senses at night. The soundproofing becomes unnecessary after Hank and Alex start sleeping in the same bed.
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr at [eleonorebirk.tumblr.com](https://eleonorebirk.tumblr.com/) where I will be posting my bingo and fictober fills first


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